"You're late, I don't like to be kept waiting and you made us wait for over an hour. I should kill you brats for that." Sasori's gruff voice spoke out from inside of Hiruko, the glare directed to you since you were considered the 'leader' of the team, mainly because you were on a team with Tobi and Suigetsu, any other team and you'd not be the leader.

"Ahh Deidara-sempai Save Tobi from Sasori-san, Tobi is a good boy, Tobi doesn't want to die yet!" The masked Uchiha jumped behind the blonde and held onto him cowering in fear which got a scoff and Deidara shoving Tobi away, threatening to blow him up.

"Calm down puppet man, we ran into an old lady on the way here and she needed help so being the wonderful team we are, helped her carry her groceries home. I would never purposely keep the great Sasori no Akasuna waiting on our little old team." Tobi made no move to acknowledge what I said, he is too good at what he does. I teased slightly being honest slightly just trying to rile the person who seems to dislike my presence the most. Something about my story still doesn't sit well with the genius puppeteer and I'm positive he's still trying to figure me out.

"You insufferable little brat."

"If you really want to blame somebody blame him." I pointed to Suigetsu who stopped drinking and went wide eyed at the accusation, I grinned. Sasori snapped towards him threateningly waving the scorpion tail. "He's the one who has low stamina and has to take breaks all the time." Suigetsu took a step back, if one person stressed him out it was Sasori, only somebody equally as fucked up as Orochimaru would be able to survive being the snake's partner, and Sasori must be strong if he even made Orochimaru wary of attacking.

"Hey what the hell is that for huh! You're the one who agreed to the breaks and stopping at the bath house just because you were so wanting to see me shirtless." Suigetsu grinned impishly at me, sending a wink my direction.

"Both of you, shut up. I don't care whose fault it is, on this mission we move on my time. No breaks or I will poison you with something worse than death." Savor promised, the mouth of his puppet clicking threateningly as his tail lowered to point

"Aye Aye Captain Sasori." Suigetsu and I chorused, exchanging smirks at the perfect unison and then turning back to the annoyed puppeteer.

"Sasori-Danna that was pretty scary hmm. However, Hinata-chan doesn't seem scared enough, maybe you should smack the girl around a bit yeah."

"Dei you asshole. Just for that, Tobi-kun is your roommate for the night, I'm keeping Sasori to myself, he has to help me with something anyways."

"You wouldn't un, I thought we were friends." The smirk dropped right off his face and he stared at me with betrayal and disbelief. I was grinning like a little shit and I know it.

"So did I but apparently not." I feigned a heartbreak but it was so unconvincing, the smile just wouldn't leave my face especially when Tobi started dancing in circles and singing happily.

"I only let Sasori-Danna smack around the best of my friends." The blonde tried to appease me but his fingers were twitching and ready to send a bomb right at me.

"Lies, Tobi-kun is yours and yours alone tonight."

"YAY! Tobi gets to sleep with Deidara-sempai, Tobi bets Deidara-sempai is soft to cuddle with like a girl because Deidara-sempai has long, shiny hair like a girl."

"I'll kill you, you stupid singing bastard." Tobi ran behind Suigetsu, who just watched with amusement. "Come on Sasori-Danna, you aren't going to stick me with that fool right un?"

"All options put me with senseless idiots but Hinata-san is correct. We have business to take care of tonight and I am not postponing it any longer." All of us clad in out Akatsuki cloaks made the journey to out inn, the small little town right on the outskirts of Suna. The sandy and desolate area that expanded for miles across the land of wind made me long for talking to Gaara, getting to see how much he has grown and how the village has to love and respect him by now.

*

"The deal is I help you and you give me information. What do you want?" Sasori was out of his Hiruko shell-no point since I already know what he looks like-and I listened to the smooth yet bored tone of the redhead as he spoke so demandingly.

"I need you to analyze this blood sample and tell me what you find." The human-puppet went to sit on his futon and studied the blood, his chakra running through the sample and looking close and detailed with his enhanced vision. After 20 minutes or so he moved to be back in front of me, handing me the vile back.

"It seems almost as if the blood cells are attacking one another, it is similar to a poison where it masks itself something beneficial to the body then destroys the body inside out. The cells are diseased, some of them being real and others being a disease and causing the persons body to fight with itself."

"How do you create an antidote for a poison like that?"

"You don't."

"So this disease...it's incurable?" His chocolatey eyes met with mine and they were glossy, completely uncaring.

"Most likely yes, and at the stage this blood seems to be at, the person is already close to dying." My hand tightened its grip around the vial and I felt dizzy. That was not the news I wanted to hear.

"I don't believe that. I refuse to believe that. That's why you're here. You are going to help me find a way to cure this or slow the effects down at least long enough to find a cure and in return I will tell you everything you want to know." I can't-I won't let Itachi die. I will do whatever it takes and Sasori knows more about the blood and how things affect it than anyone else I know. If anyone can help me it would be him.

"You are naive and foolish." Sasori pulled out a scroll and books of blood and plants came as well as some of his handwritten journals came out. "Whose blood is this."

"Itachi's." Sasori let out the lowest hum of surprise, a smirk on his pale features.

"I would have never expected the Uchiha of all people to die from something so menial."

"He's not going to die." My voice cracked slightly.

"Ah yes, you and I are going to save him." Sasori's tone never changes but I could tell he was completely sarcastic about thinking we could save Itachi. We studied through the books together, I was reading one on plants that slow blood flow trying to find one that could potentially slow the blood flow without actually being poisonous or harmful.

———————————————————————————————————————

(3d person POV)

To Sasori, Hinata was interesting. She was infuriating and he believed she was delusional, but she was interesting. He could never understand why she was so hell bent on saving his and the rest of the Akatsuki's lives. They were supposed to die, they were all criminals of the highest caliber and yet this idiotic girl wants to 'give them better lives than what they started with.' It would have made more sense to him if she was blindingly optimistic and foolish but after spending time with her, she was the opposite.

Her humor was slightly dark, when she battled Orochimaru she was as ruthless as the rest of them, but she still seemed so pure hearted. It was a puzzle, one he didn't expect to enthrall him so much. Sasori wanted to solve Hinata, find out what made the girl tick, find out the deeper reason she was so willing to save all of them. he also wanted to live, not just because he was supposed to die at the hands of a girl with pink hair in the future, but because he wanted to see how Hinata would change the future she told him of. he still believed the idea that her future knowledge was a kekkei genkai but there was no other option that he could think of, she was too honest and too knowledgeable about everything for her to just be joking around.

His brown eyes looked over to the Hyuga, studying her. She was concentrating deeply on reading, her body was tense and the light airy nature she carried was gone and replaced with the more solemn face he had only seen a few times. She was so intent on saving a dying man, he could see it in the fiery passion burning in her lavender eyes as she read each word carefully.

The damn brat was on his nerves for occupying his thoughts and wanting to know her, he didn't like the unknown. Sasori knew what seemed to be worthless details, he needed to know more. He knew how she would study so intently that her tongue would poke out her mouth or how she had the tendency to babble nonsense when nervous but he didn't know truly why she wanted to help the criminals or why she seemed to care so deeply for everyone but herself. Yet another thing he never understood, she seemed to put everyone else's lives above her own but hid that borderline suicidal fact so well if someone wasn't paying attention they'd miss it. What kind of idiot cared more about everyone else more than themselves.

"Dammit there is nothing in this book either!" Hinata growled out, practically panicking at this point. Her stress levels were maxing out, everything seemed to be crashing down on her at once and the puppet master just watched as she stressed herself out more and more after each word.

"Calm down brat, you're annoying. Just breathe and read, glaring at the book isn't going to make it any better."

Even with all of her annoyances, Sasori was at least glad Hinata was interesting to look at. He was a man that liked to see beautiful things, he believed beauty should be eternal and it pleased him to see something beautiful. In the physical standpoint Hinata was beautiful, many women were but Hinata was more interesting to look at, all of her expressions were of different beauty and Sasori enjoyed looking at her, thinking of how wonderful of a puppet she would make, he could capture her in her most beautiful position and make it look that way forever. Then he wouldn't have to hear the idiotic and downright crazy things that she would spur out of her crude mouth often times.

But if Sasori were to make her a puppet, he knew he would die if not by Itachi then by his fake artist of a partner. The blonde was clearly fond of the bluenette, they were friends as odd as Sasori found their relationship, it functioned well and they got along together. They considered each other friends and that was obvious to even somebody who was not that knowledgeable on how true relationships were supposed to work. He would guess that he and Deidara would also be friends if it came down to it, he can't stand the blonde but he would also kill anyone who dared to try and kill his partner.

Sasori saw something he noted in one of his books on how he creates his puppets, the technique may be fatal, but if done right, it also might be the thing to save the Uchiha's life. And if it fails, Sasori will have a puppet that makes the rest of his pale in comparison. An Uchiha with the highest level of Sharingan would surely make him not just the best puppet master, but perhaps the strongest ninja ever to fight. Hmm, each outcome is interesting.

"Hinata-san."

"Yes?" he slid the passage over for her to read and her eyes brightened after each word. She looked up to him, practically shaking with excitement. "This is genius, this might actually work."

"You would need somebody with the exact same blood type and you'd have to be precise with the time and speed of flow, even the slightest mistake and he's dead." He expected her to become slightly dejected at his words but she just smiled, it was so bright it felt blinding.

"I won't mess up. Not at all." Sasori was tackled into a hug, something he hadn't genuinely felt in many years. He could feel the warmth of her skin against his body, the way she was so soft yet strong, the tightness of her hold on him as she hugged him with pure gratefulness. yet another thing, Hinata was too naive on the ways of men, she didn't like to be alone and found herself in situations like this with men, if it were anybody else, she would be easily taken advantage of...if anybody was dumb enough to pick a fight with her. However, he felt something coil inside of him, his heart he could feel the canister beating more strongly than ever, it was just like when his parents hugged him as a child. He could faintly remember their warmth against him. "Thank you Sasori! Thank you so much."

She looked up at him with those large pale eyes, filled with such depth, he didn't look away. Instead, he shoved her off of him.

"Stop being clingy brat. Go to sleep now, you need it for tomorrow. I'm not waiting for you just because your tired."

"Oh yeah, what exactly are we doing in Suna?"

"Junchuriki scouting, the little brat is supposedly the Kazekage. We have to scope out his schedule to find the best time for the blonde idiot to attack."

"Well...fuck." Sasori raised an eyebrow but didn't care to ask the girl why her reaction was so dismal. The girl got up quickly and shrugged her cloak on over her clothing. "I uh really have to go to the bathroom." She looked sheepish as she rushed out of the room.

"Yes, well I didn't need to know that. Leave."

Hinata activated her Byakugan to make sure nobody was close enough to see what she was doing, especially a certain masked Uchiha. She bit into her thumb harshly tearing the skin deep enough to draw blood before slamming it onto the ground. There was a puff of smoke then a small black female lion that barely reached Hinata's knee caps appeared, she blended into the night and her body was muscled perfect for quick movements.

"Hello Hinata-hime, I am Sari-chan. What can I do for you tonight?" She spoke proper and soft and Hinata gave the lion a smile and a small treat.

"Hello Sari, I really need you to deliver a message for me. Please find the Kazekage and deliver this to him at all costs. It is a matter of life and death, please do not get caught, if you are going to be by anybody but Gaara disappear." Hinata carefully slipped a letter into the collar of Sari's pink collar.

"I will not let you down on my first official mission!" The lioness bowed and then rushed off quickly, her dark coat blending into the night. Hinata slumped to the ground for a minute before picking herself back up and heading back to her shared room with the puppet. If anybody looked close enough, they could see the slight tremble in her palms and the nervous way she bit into the soft skin of her bottom lip.

*

Gaara was winding down after the long day of paperwork by sitting atop the roof of his Kage tower and looking out over the village he protected. There were ninja taking their rounds and other than the whistle of the winds, it was silent...peaceful. That was until his sand became agitated and a shield was put up, blocking something that let out a soft 'oof.' the sand dropped and Gaara was at the ready to attack when he came face to face with a small lion.

"What are you doing here little creature?"

"Are you the one Hinata-hime calls Panda-kun?" His guard dropped almost completely at the name of the female he had heard nothing from in the last few years.

"Yes. Is she alright?" He was worried but by the unperturbed look of the small lion, his fears seemed for naught.

"Ahh yess no need to worry. I am here as a messenger for Hinata-hime." Sari showed Gaara the letter in her collar and he took it, looking at the familiar messy signature of Hinata. He held the letter a bit tighter, this was definitely from her.

"Thank you..."

"Sari-chan."

"Thank you Sari-chan." The lioness gave him a lick on his palm before being summoned back to her realm. The ginger Kazekage opened the letter and his teal eyes read over each letter carefully.

Dear Panda-kun,

Long time no talk! I've missed you. I've made a lot of new friends...but there is no time for that. One day we will catch up. You are in danger, the Akatsuki are planning on making their move on you soon. The only way for you to keep your village, you, and Shukaku safe is to flee. Go to the leaf village no later than tomorrow morning, DO NOT LET ANYONE KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING. Except Kankuro...but he has to stay completely silent about as well. Nobody not even your most trusted comrades can know. Naruto should be returning soon as well, but you need to stick together. Tell Kakashi I've sent you and he and Jiraiya will know what to do. Please Gaara I beg of you to do this, right now there is nothing more I can do without risking the lives of many more. Go to the leaf now, do not leave until you get a signal from me.

Love,

The highly paranoid and terrified slightly rogue Hinata

PS: do whatever to make sure this letter disappears...eat it for all I care but destroy this paper

Gaara chuckled at the familiarity of his friend, she was as odd as ever. However, the urgency in what she wrote spoke volumes, he knew this was no laughing matter and decided to follow her advice, not just for himself but for the sake of the village he would give his life to protect. He took one last glance at the handwriting, letting his fingers trace over the scrawl before crushing it into oblivion. Within an hour he was on his trek to the leaf village, his brother taking the role of Kazekage for the time being under the pretense of Gaara being extremely ill.

Whatever was going on was dangerous and if he was going to flee, he was glad it was going to be with Naruto. He would keep his friend safe as well.

A/N: Guys everything is getting ready for high gear! Finally Gaara is back...well for like one little snippet but oh well. Some more development with Sasori. Honestly he is the type to do what benefits him the most and provides some entertainment so his interest in seeing what hinata does is not off, if her side is going to win that's the side he would choose. At least thats kind of how I perceive his character.